The Aquila substation in Richards Bay was recently targeted by vandals, leaving residents without power.
Image: Facebook/ uMhlathuze Municipality
uMhlathuze Local Municipality mayor Xolani Ngwezi believes that the vandalism at the City’s electricity substations is politically motivated.
Recently, the municipality has seen an escalation in electricity substation vandalism.
On Wednesday, in a statement, the municipality reported another vandalism incident at the Aquila substation in Richards Bay.
A few weeks ago, the municipality reported that the Grantham substation in Empangeni and the Aquila substation, which supplies the Arboretum area, had been hit, causing significant power disruptions. At the Grantham substation, all control circuit wiring and protection wiring were vandalised. The Aquila substation experienced a second vandalism incident in two weeks.
At the time, deputy mayor Christo Botha said the City’s infrastructure, especially the electricity supply, was a target for acts of sabotage disguised as vandalism.
Speaking on the sidelines of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli’s Premier’s Coordinating Forum (PCF) on Friday, Ngwezi said incidents have now escalated.
“We used to get some form of vandalism, especially in the water infrastructure. On electricity, it was a one in eight months occurrence, but now it has escalated. I think there’s more demand now on the market where these things are sold,” Ngwezi said.
He highlighted that he thought these incidents were politically motivated, because in one incident, someone who had been apprehended by police was an employee of a security company that is contracted by the municipality.
The suspect gained access through the roof of the Aquila substation in Richards Bay recently.
Image: Facebook/ uMhlathuze Municipality
“We know that this has a lot of collusion. I suspect that some of the employees might be bitter former employees of the electrical department who resigned, and some of them were disciplined. I think they might have a way of being part of the syndicate. I don’t want to say that, it’s just my suspicions.
"I don’t have proof of what I’m saying. But the fact that one person who is employed to guard the infrastructure is found in possession of the same infrastructure that he is guarding...to me, it says that there is a very big syndicate around this matter,” Ngwezi explained.
He said the former employees were dismissed on different charges.
Ngwezi described these incidents as sabotage to service delivery, but also a threat to human life.
Electricity is dangerous and can kill, Ngwezi said, referring to those behind incidents of sabotage.
“All we are saying is that these things must stop,” Ngwezi said.
The aftermath of vandalism at the Aquila substation raises concerns over public safety and service delivery.
Image: Facebook/ uMhlathuze Municipality
“The CM (city manager), together with the CFO (chief financial officer) and security services, is dealing with that matter and very soon will unveil to the public what has been done,” Ngwezi said.
“Currently, in those areas, we are able to supply electricity through other alternative lines and also engage our insurance to assist us because these are insured infrastructures.”
Ngwezi made a strong appeal to the police, crime intelligence, and other security clusters to urgently crack down on this issue.
Security measures are being discussed to protect vital infrastructure from acts of sabotage.
Image: Facebook/ uMhlathuze Municipality
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za